Meet Adeline {a strong and sweet contributor}

A few weeks back I sent my friend Adeline a Facebook message. I asked if she would be interested in writing something for Strong and Sweet. I was so happy that she said yes, because for weeks I had been telling Luke how much I'd love for her to share something here. She is the kind of person you could just be around all day, so full of intelligence, kindness, and peace. Not to mention, her twitter feed is awesome and makes me laugh so much. So here we are a few weeks later, and today I get to share Adeline's post with you! Enjoy, friends, and meet my friend, Adeline. 

Faith isn’t something you need to take notes on and observe. You don’t get Faith by absorbing it from others, & it’s not necessarily something you understand. Faith is a powerful thing; so powerful that with only a mustard seed of faith, you can move mountains. (Matthew 17:20) Imagine what you could do with a handful of mustard seeds! (Metaphorically, of course; you cannot wish upon mustard seeds.) There is no magic spell or special formula for gaining faith. It is a process, with a sort of method. The beginning of having faith is to have hope, which could be considered “baby faith”. Hope is wanting something to happen, & that is the first step to believing it will, and that is faith. You can’t simply believe something will happen on its own; you have to work for it. You won’t be all on your own, though. God provides; ask & you will receive. (Matthew 21:22 & Luke 11:9-12) 

This isn’t meant to all sound terribly difficult, but it is not particularly easy, either. There will come times when your hope wavers & your faith begins to wear thin. You can find comfort in God, and knowing that he will always remain faithful to you. Having & maintaining faith is a process, & quite possibly a long and tiresome one. Don’t let that deter you, though; the rewards of having & maintaining faith are great. And to have faith, you must have faith in something; in God, of course, but also in a goal. Dream an amazing dream, & fathom that dream into a goal. Don’t set a boring, tiresome goal that will leave you disappointed once you’ve met it. People often set 2 to 3 year goals & feel lost once they’ve met them. Once you’ve set an attainable (or not so attainable; the better to test your faith with) goal, start working towards making that goal happen. Keep adding to your goal, & thinking of ways to make it bigger & better. The bigger the goal, the more it will test your faith. Testing your faith is a fantastic way to build your faith. Continue to ask God to give you more faith, & He will. 

 -Adeline Shanaberger-

I was so encouraged and challenged by that last line... "Testing your faith is a fantastic way to build your faith. Continue to ask God to give you more faith & He will". Thanks for sharing, Adeline! 

Was there a particular line that challenged the way you think about faith? I'd love to hear about it!

Meet Denise {a strong and sweet contributor}

I'm so glad that the day is finally here when I get to share this sweet post with you. Today my mom is sharing here at Strong and Sweet. I asked her a few weeks back if she'd consider writing a post and, in true Denise-fashion, she was so enthusiastic about it and wrote something beautiful. Enjoy!

                                    original photo credit to a sweet family friend, Dana Britton, via Facebook

Hi, Strong and Sweet readers! 

My name is Denise and I’m so proud to be Bonnie’s mom.  Bonnie asked if I’d consider writing an entry for her blog, to which I responded, “Absolutely!” Strong and Sweet is a wonderful place to share life experiences, faith, and questions with one another. As you have interacted, I have been reminded of the verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 which states, 

“Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

I can look back over the years and identify people in my life who have “built” me up through their words and by believing in who God made me to be. I’d like to introduce you to a few of them. It is my hope that by sharing, you will be inspired and encouraged today.

My parents, Jean and Harley, unable to have biological children, chose my sister, brother and I to be in their family.  They loved us before they knew us and welcomed us even when they knew we weren’t “perfect”.  When they first saw me, it was very evident that something was very wrong with my (blind) eye. But, they chose not to walk away.  They provided love, home and a family that each of us desperately needed. We were accepted.

Mrs. Brunton was my first track coach.  As a former track star, she loved to introduce kids to the world of cross-country, track and field.  This perky, petite, 60ish woman would pick us up in her white, wood paneled station wagon, drive to the local track or park and train us to become athletes. She believed in me and helped me to see that I could do something well. She also inspired me to become a basketball coach who would make practices fun learning experiences.

Barb, a dear friend and “older” mom, was a great encourager during the season of life when our 5 children were young.  I loved being able to stay at home with my kids but I was often tired and sometimes :) grumpy from trying to meet all the needs.  What Barb gave me was the ability to put things in perspective on those days when I felt like a horrible mom.  She told me of the verse that says, “Love covers over a multitude of sins”. I learned that seeking forgiveness from my children and loving them through my words and actions created a healthier home environment.

Whether my parents, Mrs. Brunton or Barb knew it or not, they were modeling the character of Christ to me.  Wasn’t it the Lord who loved us, accepted us and chose us to be part of His family?  Isn’t it the Lord who believes in us, develops gifts in us and enables us to use them as part of His purpose and plan for our lives?  And isn’t it the Lord who listens to us, encourages us, builds us up and corrects us, again and again, so we can experience His love, peace and hope, then share it with others?

As you build each other up, you are a reflection of Christ.  May you be blessed and encouraged today.  Keep up the good work!

Love and Prayers, 

Denise

Tell us about someone who has encouraged you in the comments below! 

Remember to Have Fun {getting rid of worry}

Luke and I were in the living room yesterday afternoon, just talking after a tough morning. I felt like I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed - feeling discouraged, yucky, sad, and like I was dragging my feet everywhere I went. If I can be honest with you, those mornings aren't exactly rare. So there I was, lounging in our comfy tan rocker and Luke stood a few feet across from me by the corner of the couch.

I said something like, "I never expected that it would be this hard to deal with change." It felt good to say it - like I had narrowed down and organized all five hundred little thoughts flying around in my brain. Being a momma is an amazing thing and it has a funny way of showing me what I struggle with. Learning to be flexible and calm in the midst of change is one for me.

I don't say this to be hard on myself, instead I share it to help myself and anyone else who struggles with this to take a big step into freedom. I am an over-thinker. Honestly, sometimes just trying to decide if I should change Bekah one more time before bed stresses me out. I allow myself to overthink this decision and that decision, fully confident that any little choice I make will encourage a bad habit in her or something silly like that. I guess when I say "I am an over thinker".... it's really my way of confessing that I've been allowing myself to worry way. too. much. It comes from fear.

"When I am afraid I will trust in you" - Psalm 56:3

"Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28

So yesterday afternoon I needed to make a change in the way I had been thinking. I decided that it's time for me to stop worrying so much about making a mistake. I think there is a place that is full of grace where we just realize that we are humans and we are going to mess things up sometimes. That despite our best efforts, we will never be perfect moms or perfect students or perfect friends. Praise God for the grace that comes through Jesus Christ. We don't need to be perfect and we don't need to worry.

Then another little flower of hope popped up in my soul. It was this reminder...

Remember to have fun. Embrace the messiness 

and the silliness and the unpredictable-ness of life right now and have fun.

I've been encouraging this simple reminder to run through my heart over and over and over again today. It sounds so simple but for me it runs so deep. By choosing to have fun, I'm taking a stand against that very human part of me that wants to worry my life away.

Have you been feeling the weight of worry lately? There's freedom in giving your fears and overthinking-thoughts to Jesus.

Love you friends! And remember to have some fun today. :)

Bonnie

A Mid-Year Celebration! {Your Names for 2014}

Today four of my friends are sharing their stories about life in 2014 so far. At the beginning of the year, I joined with a bunch of you as we "named our years" - we decided what it was that we wanted to see happen in the year ahead as we partnered with God. I named my year "Made for this" and it has transformed the way I view my life and challenges. I was so touched and powerfully encouraged by their stories… I think you will be, too! 

"At the end of 2013 and the turn of the new year, I was thinking of all the things I would like the Lord to do in my life in the coming year...There has been so many changes in our family in the past few years. I heard of a few friends giving their "new year" a name. I decided to claim my new year the year of "restoration"..... Now, seven months later, I was challenged to review my year and see how God has worked in our lives so far this year....It says in Joel 2:25-26 - "And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you." In the past two years, our hearts have been torn apart from pain from the death of one of our sons, and several other things that the enemy has been throwing our way.... I am asking God to "restore" healed hearts within our lives...to restore family members that have alienated themselves within our families.. As I think back on how "I WANTED GOD TO WORK", I am reminded that my ways are not always His ways, and my time is not always HIS time. So with that said, God did not bring to pass what I wanted Him to do yet, BUT, my sister who has pretty much closed her ears and eyes to the things of God the past 15 years, is on the verge of recommitting her life to Him again. She is praying and starting to proclaim her love for Him once again. She is getting involved in some church activities. It is so refreshing to once again share those "Godly conversations" that we did for so very many years. So, I will rest in Him, knowing that He sees the "finished picture", and I will not get discouraged when He answers in a way that is different to the way that I want Him answer... I will hold on the the promise in John 14:1 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." I CHOOSE to take God at His word. I choose to stand on Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." I choose to walk in "joy" as he makes me more like Him. I will believe Romans 15:13.... "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." I will continue to praise Him for who He is, and I will still believe that the restoration for my family will come in His time.

PS... there are STILL 5 months till the end of this year…"

"Thinking back to the beginning of the year, I thought "a year of opportunities" would be a great title for my new year. honestly I haven't thought about it too much over the past few months, however thinking about it now, I've learned that it's a perfect title. God has given Brian and I so many opportunities this year. It's been a lot of small ones but they all grow into a big one. We still have our jobs, 2 sets of our best friends became great parents to beautiful daughters that I love calling my nieces, I'm assisting two worship leaders, I've moved into a new area of creative and media works, and Brian and I have been teaching more. There may be more opportunities with ministry callings at school as well. This is only some of what God is doing in the past 7 months and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the rest of the year!"

"Focusing on embracing everything that comes my way has made such a huge difference in my year so far! Moving 3000 miles from home and getting married has been both wonderful and challenging. Whilst some of the difficult aspects would've shaken me in the past, remembering the name that I had for 2014 has made these obstacles much easier to face. Trying to figure out finances has been quite stressful as I'm not yet able to get a job since I'm still waiting for my work permit but every month since I've been here, everything has come together for us and we know that we can only thank God for that. Embracing this season of unemployment by getting to know my new friends better by spending that time with them rather than stay home and panicking constantly about money has been so liberating. It's also really helped me to put down some strong roots here and despite missing my friends in the UK, I'm incredibly thankful for the new ones that I'm making here too."

"This year has been a roller coaster of emotions, hurt, and pain followed by God using that brokenness to restore me and the people around me. At the beginning of this year I committed to seek out intentional relationships and ways to encourage the people around me in Christ's love. Needless to say God answered that pray with practical ways to practice this, and these were ways that were beyond what I expected. Because of God's grace and my desire to have intentional, meaningful relationships I was able to have a different perspective on what was going on around me. I restored some broken relationships, encouraged friends around me to seek Christ in the midst of trials and suffering, and I strengthened relationships I never imagined would last. With God's guidance, and a lot of prayer, I have grown so much in the past six months just by trying to see people as God sees them and love them like Christ loves me. Relationships are a precious gift from God and I'm glad to have been able to experience all that God had planned. I cannot wait to see where God leads me in this next chapter of life as a college graduate, starting my first job, and getting to form relationships with beautiful families who the world views as broken and hopeless but I know God loves. The remainder of the year I will prayerfully seek to be a vessel of God's love to those around me who appear broken, defeated, and hopeless."
_________________________________________________________________________________
*bold/italic emphasis mine

It's not too late to name the rest of your year! What are your wildest dream for the last months of 2014? What would you name your year? I'd love to hear from you!

Love,
Bonnie

Want to read a little more about naming your year? I love this exercise of faith!

Read my original post on "Naming Your Year" by clicking here.

Read my post on why I named my year "Made For This" by clicking here. 

Grateful Heart Monday 6.2.14

Can you believe it's June already? Happy Monday! 

Today I'm trying out something new with a weekly Grateful Heart Monday post (See the bottom of the post for info on the link-up ;). Taking time to reflect on what I'm thankful for always does good things in my heart. I hope you're feeling encouraged and empowered for a fresh, new week, friends. If you're feeling a little low today and could use a friend to talk to or pray with, I'm your girl. I needed the same thing this morning. :) Here's what I'm especially grateful for this afternoon. I'd love to hear from you, too!

1. I'm grateful for our dear friends Nick and Kelly. Back in September they were our brand new friends after we moved to the Philly area for school. One night they shared with us that they were hoping to start a family soon! Their courage and confidence was such a gift to Luke and I during that time. We had always been excited to start having babies but those plans were sort of on the "back burner" since we were in the middle of such a big transition. That night we were so encouraged and our faith was set that if we wanted to start a family, we could trust God to be our provider. Nick and Kelly have been such a gift to us as friends. Oh, and good news… today they are in the hospital awaiting the arrival of their little girl!!! Their little Charity will be about one month older than our Bekah. God is so good! We love you, guys! You are already amazing, world-changing parents and we are so grateful for you. 
2. I'm grateful for a beautiful baby shower yesterday afternoon. Yesterday after church and a few hours at home, Luke and I drove to the Lancaster area for a baby shower with our extended family on my mother-in-law's side. Luke's grandma put it all together for us and it was the perfect Sunday afternoon. We love family time. Even my Mom, who had been traveling since 4 am from her trip to Missouri, was able to make it! One of the sweetest parts of the day was overhearing our family mention Bekah's name in their conversations. It makes me so happy just imagining the days when she'll be out here running around, being silly, and interacting with all these wonderful people we're blessed to call family. Today I'm so grateful for Grammy's kindness to us and our time with family. (The picture above is Mom, Bekah, and I after the shower)
3. I'm grateful for a new hopeful perspective. I've always loved this verse in Isaiah 43:19. God reminds the Israelites of all the miraculous things He did for them and how He provided for them in the past… then He says of Jesus starting in verse 18…

“But forget all that—

    it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

For I am about to do something new.

    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

You know how some things can just weigh on you? I had a situation this week where I was so hopeless about an area of my life that I felt like I kept messing up. It definitely felt like a "dry wasteland" and I wanted to give up. So God's promise here is really precious to me today. I'm choosing His perspective instead. I'm thankful for forgiveness, for grace, and for a God who can make all things new and even better than before. Today I'm grateful that the things I viewed as "dry wastelands" in my life are being turned into refreshing, overflowing, crystal clear rivers instead. :)

So tell me, what are you grateful for today? 

Love, 

Bonnie

** This post is part of a fun link-up that Ember Grey puts together each week! Follow this link to view her original post and to find the posts other bloggers are sharing about starting their week with a grateful heart.